Bad starter/solenoid?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 234
Likes: 18
From: So Cal CA
Bad starter/solenoid?
Having what I believe is starter/solenoid issues. Yesterday I was driving the car all morning (about 4 start/stops) with no issues. When I went to start the car last night it sounded like it was about to crank then nothing. I saw what I believed was smoke (minimal) coming from the drivers side. When I turn the key, the dash lights up and everything indicates it doesn't seem to be a battery problem (battery is 6 months old).
The car does not even sound like it's attempting to turn over. I do have LTs and I've read they have a good chance of frying the starter/solenoid. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but am a complete novice when it comes to dealing with electrical. I checked what fuses I believed I needed to (14, 50, 52) and they look fine, gonna go over my cables/grounds once more.
What is the best way to peak at the starter? I am still learning with this car. My understanding is it can be a few things. TDR, dirty grounds, bad connections, fuses, fried unit and so forth.
Can anyone provide pictures with locations on what to start looking for? The car luckily made it home but is in the street so I can't do too much in terms of working/getting underneath it.
The car does not even sound like it's attempting to turn over. I do have LTs and I've read they have a good chance of frying the starter/solenoid. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but am a complete novice when it comes to dealing with electrical. I checked what fuses I believed I needed to (14, 50, 52) and they look fine, gonna go over my cables/grounds once more.
What is the best way to peak at the starter? I am still learning with this car. My understanding is it can be a few things. TDR, dirty grounds, bad connections, fuses, fried unit and so forth.
Can anyone provide pictures with locations on what to start looking for? The car luckily made it home but is in the street so I can't do too much in terms of working/getting underneath it.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
ALSO,,, If the battery cables are not properly tightened to the battery terminals, it can and will do the same thing.
A poor battery terminal connection will make the 12 VDC low current thing work fine but FAIL when you draw a HEAVY CURRENT LOAD like the STARTER!
Make sure they are clean and tight (11 ft/lbs factory specified tq)
Same for the Solenoid terminals. Clean and tight or they will fail under high current/load situations. Can cause the smoke!
BC
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,803
Likes: 358
From: Northville, MI
If possible jack up the front end, have someone start the car and then using a soft hammer or a length of 2x2 tap the starter to see if it will start. Quite often the solenoid will fail from the heat.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,136
Likes: 139
From: Port St Lucie Florida
This issue has plagued me since I bought the car. But researching and studying possible fixes really helps,. You can also access the starter on passenger side by removing the 2 back plug wires and using a 13mm stubby rachet to disconnect main solenoid bolt and to examine the connections. Make sure you disconnect the neg battery first because the solenoid connections are hot at all times.
Last edited by corvet786c; Aug 8, 2017 at 08:25 PM.
